Any electrical current (blue) moves water over the model of a race car inside the UNC Charlotte water tunnel. The device can be used with bike helmets, swimwear and other products.

Credit: UNC Charlotte

Interesting, hey?

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Since the days of Leonardo da Vinci, water tunnels have been in use for fluid flow research, specifically to observe how moving water flows around submerged objects. The information applies to air and other fluids. Water tunnels also increase the understanding of data from wind tunnel research.

The tunnel features a 3 feet square by 10 feet long test section with thick glass surrounding the front, back and bottom to allow for laser measurements and easy viewing. The section is large enough to observe a person swimming.

So the top is opaque and the models are suspended upside down? What swimming strokes fit into a 3ft square?

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Any electrical current (blue) moves water over the model of a race car

Magnetohydrodynamics? The only thing blue in the picture is the probe for the hydrogen bubbles.

The MIT Water Tunnel is located in the Marine Hydrodynamics Laboratory. The water tunnel employs a moving stream of water rather than a moving object as in a towing tank. It has a test section 1.2 meters long by 0.5 meters square through which an extremely uniform stream of water can be moved at speeds up to 10 m/s. Models of propellers, waterjets, control surfaces, hydrofoils, submersibles and other devices can be tested. The pressure of the water can be adjusted automatically over a wide range in order to scale cavitation characteristics of the object being tested.

Taking up half the shop inside the Mechanical Engineering Motorsports Center on the UNCC campus.

A huge, 56,000 pound circular behemoth that took more than a year to build, cost $100,000 to build and and is the brainchild of 25-year old Sam Hellman....................

May 29, 2009 at 3:07 PM EST - Updated June 18 at 10:47 AM

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) - A new water tunnel at a North Carolina university will be used to study race car subjects such as aerodynamics and fuel efficiency along with issues involving other sports, such as swimwear efficiency.

The University of North Carolina at Charlotte will unveil the 57,000-pound tunnel Friday in Duke Centennial Hall's Mechanical Engineering Motorsports Center. Construction on the tunnel began more than a year ago.

Water tunnels are used for fluid flow research, specifically to observe how water flows around submerged objects. They also increase the understanding of data from wind tunnels.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

(WBTV Reporter Jeff Atkinson reported on the water tunnel earlier this week on PrimeTime at 7.)

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) - You know how important racing is to the Charlotte region, pumping nearly $5 billion into the Charlotte region's economy every year. WBTV pulls the wraps off a new facility at UNC Charlotte that could help local race teams win, and get you a car with better gas mileage.

We're talking about something that uses thousands of gallons of water. It's called a water tunnel, one of the largest in the United States.. one of only a few hundred in the country.

Designed by a UNCC student working on his PhD, it could put the region on the map in aerodynamic research.

Step into the UNC Charlotte motorsports shop.. and you'd expect to see where they build race cars. But venture in a little farther.. and what's this?

"This a water tunnel. A hydrodynamic research facility."

Taking up half the shop inside the Mechanical Engineering Motorsports Center on the UNCC campus.

A huge, 56,000 pound circular behemoth that took more than a year to build, cost $100,000 to build and and is the brainchild of 25-year old Sam Hellman.

"There are infinite different experiments we can do in here," says Hellman.

With its many race teams.. the Charlotte region boasts several wind tunnels.. where teams run cars through the paces-- trying to get them to go faster.

But few have gone to this level.. constructing a water tunnel that's the fifth largest in the country.

"The advantage that water tunnels have over wind tunnels is that you can actually visualize the flow."

Why does it matter?.. we'll get to that in a second. First, Sam turned the thing on.

"WHIRRRRRRRR"

A 35-thousand dollar propeller churns water.. sending it down the tunnel and through a number of pipes at speeds up to 20-thousand gallons of water a minute.. the amount of water in an average size swimming pool.

"You have the bubbles coming over here..."

Sam showed us how the water responds when it reaches the model race car. Water in the tank acts like the outside air does.. and this is what they'll be studying.

3. The UNC Charlotte Recirculating Water Tunnel is the fourth largest recirculating water tunnel in the United States is located in the UNC Charlotte Motorsports Shop. This facility is currently under construction and is expected to hold water this fall. It is scheduled for use with fluid dynamics research experiments that range from schooling efficiencies of robot fish, flow over helicopter rotors, and a collaborative program with Penske Racing on the drafting effects of multiple NASCAR bodies moving in a pack. The funding for this facility requires availability for use in undergraduate labs. Since it is the research program of the PI, it can and will be made available to engage freshmen and sophomore engineering students. The test section is 3m long and one meter square and the maximum flow velocity is 1 m/s.

The performance of the facility is multi-fold. Since it is a recirculating water tunnel, it can run continuously and (for example) is sometimes left running overnight to assist in the filtration system cleaning up settled debris.

The test section is at the exit of a boundary layer reducing nozzle and is 3 meters long by 1 meter deep and 1 meter wide and as shown in some of the images, is completely surrounded by viewing windows. The top is open although it has removable Lexan debris covers. The Hydrokinetic Energy device accesses the water via a small slit in the covers. The Large Recirculating Water Tunnel is located in the Alan Kulwicky Motorsports Shop on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
Instrumentation Associated with the Test Facility

The most powerful instrument associated with the water tunnel is a Dantech 3D Particle Image Velocimetry system (3D-PIV). This $250,000 system allows measurement of the flow at all locations simultaneously in a plane defined by a powerful laser.

Normally, a computer controlled two axis traverse moves the object of interest around in the laser sheet measurement plane; however, it is also configured to move the Laser back and forth around a stationary flow object. In addition, observing the flow patterns is supported by both Hydrogen bubble and Oxygen bubble generation stingers using an electrolysis system. Normally only Hydrogen is used; however, at the very high speeds, Hydrogen becomes too faint for observational use and the larger Oxygen bubbles are better suited.

This facility allows them to work on things from tidal generation systems to NASCAR.

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